2018 started off with a cold front that is sweeping across the nation and has left those of us in Florida reeling and wondering what has happened? This is crazy stupid cold! They call it “Grayson”. The focus has been on New York and New England with wind chill, blizzards, snow and ice. Why? It’s January! It’s suppose to be cold up there! Does nobody remember the great Buffalo, New York blizzard of 1977? 46 to 69 mph wind gusts and 100 inches of snowfall in 3 days! Minnesota and Wisconsin are the states winter jokes are made of! No, the big news story is how cold it is in Florida! That’s right folks, it was snowing in Tallahassee!
Floridians are no strangers to big weather. We will bravely face a Category 5 hurricane, like warriors going into battle, but drop Mother Nature’s thermostat and we are cowering under blankets and frantically trying to remember how to turn on the heat!
You people from up north are ready for this. You train for it. But, down here, in the land of endless summer, what are we suppose to do? Having moved here from Colorado I’ve had my fair share of cold winters, and I kept my snow boots just in case I ever make a trip back there mid-winter, for what reason I have no idea, but at least I’m prepared. For the past three years I have lived here in the Sunshine State, where my footwear consists of two pairs of flip-flops, one pair of Teva sandals, and one pair of snowboots for just in case. There is no in-between! So, when I braved 42 degrees yesterday to go to the store, I was dressed in a long skirt, (The warmest thing I could think of. I don’t own a pair of pants), a lightweight jacket (for those rare occasions when temperatures may fall below 70), and flip-flops. Snowboots seemed too much. I actually believe the heat was turned on in Wal-Mart, which I did not know they had, and perhaps for the second time in three years, also in my car.
My neighborhood is the winter home of many snowbirds. You know, those people who come south every year to escape the bitterness of storms just like Grayson. They spend most of their year in Canada, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio, and the like. Coming home from the store, temperatures still not rising out of the low 40’s and the wind blowing strongly, they were easy to spot. One woman was riding her bike, wearing capri pants and a light sweatshirt. My bet she’s from Canada or Michigan! She surely was not a native-born Floridian, or even a transplant! Three doors before I reached my own, I encountered a man washing his car! Washing his car!!! He was wearing long pants and a short sleeve shirt. What possessed him to go to his closet this frigid morning, choose a short sleeve shirt and say, “It looks like a nice day to wash the car.” I didn’t even have to guess. A quick glance at his license plate confirmed he was from, you guessed it, Ontario!
I am a bit embarrassed to say, I hustled my groceries inside, made a hot cup of tea, then cozied up under a nice warm blanket on the couch. It seemed prudent. This too shall pass, and come July we’ll all be fondly reminiscing about those gloriously chilly days of January 2018, wishing they hadn’t gone by so quickly, but right now….I can’t imagine it!
Way to own up to having turned into a lightweight! 🙂 This too shall pass. Nice that you have a car heater at your immediate disposal though. I had forgotten about that option.
Yes, I am officially a lightweight!
Love the way you write. Funnyn I love to smile st the picture you describe.
Always glad to add some humor to your day.
So funny.
You always make me laugh
” : )